Chang Feng SMG (Type 06)
Notes: Another
competitor for China’s new SMG/PDW, the Chang Feng is another unusual design
that is now more likely to see domestic and foreign sales due to a new
simplified design (more on the earlier versions later).
The Chang Feng SMG has no official designation as of yet; Chang Feng is
the name of the company in China that makes it.
Chang Feng has another possible leg up in that the designer of this
weapon is Qing Shangsheng, the man who designed many of the innovative new small
arms now entering PLA and Chinese Police service.
The Chang Feng SMG has a housing made almost entirely of strong,
lightweight polymer, as are the forward and rear grips, trigger housing, and
even the magazines. The magazines
are particularly unusual; they use the rare helical-feed format, mounted on top
of the weapon just below the sight line, and are translucent to allow the
shooter to see how much ammunition he has.
The charging handle is normally on the left side of the weapon, but may
be moved to the right side; controls are ambidextrous and derived from those of
QSZ-92 pistol (as is the rear pistol grip).
The barrel is tipped with a compact muzzle brake that is, though not as
effective as a full-sized muzzle brake, dampens recoil better than a simple
flash suppressor. A weak point of
the Chang Feng SMG is its almost total inability to mount optics or accessories;
the top-mounted helical magazine makes such mounting virtually impossible on top
of the weapon, and the area of the SMG’s housing in front of the forward grip is
quite short. The Chang Feng SMG
can, however, easily mount a screw-on silencer.
The PLA passed
on the Chang Feng design, but this may be because the Chang Feng SMG was, at the
time of testing by the PLA, a very different and more complicated weapon.
In addition to the top-mounted helical feed magazine, the initial Chang
Feng SMG submission had a second magazine feed in the rear pistol grip for use
with special ammunition, and an additional switch in order to allow the use of
this second feed. The secondary
magazine used is the same as that of the QSZ-92 pistol.
It was an interesting idea, but led to a quite complicated design that in
test proved to be somewhat unreliable.
In addition, the initial submissions of the Chang Feng SMG included a
version chambered for the new 5.8mm Chinese Pistol cartridge, a round that the
PLA eventually rejected as well. I
have included statistics for these versions below, as sort of a “what-if.”
Though the PLA
rejected the Chang Feng SMG, the Chinese Police are reportedly very interested
in the new version of the design, especially for its SRT-type units and for the
units that operate in Hong Kong, where its very light and compact design would
prove to be advantageous. Rumors
also say that the Chang Feng SMG is starting to be shopped around to the
international market, and it may even have been demonstrated in Pakistan, Iran,
and some countries in Southeast Asia (though this is unconfirmed).
Twilight 2000
Notes: The Chang Feng SMG does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.
Merc 2000 Notes:
Though innovative, the Chang Feng SMG is also complicated to make and requires
exotic polymers, and by 2007 production had stopped in favor of simpler, less
complicated, and more marketable weapons.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Chang Feng SMG (New Design) |
9mm Parabellum |
2.1 kg |
50 Helical |
$374 |
Chang Feng SMG (Early Design) |
9mm Parabellum |
2.21 kg |
50 Helical + 15 Grip |
$393 |
Chang Feng SMG (Early Design) |
5.8mm Chinese Pistol |
2.07 kg |
50 Helical + 20 Grip |
$559 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Chang Feng SMG (New) |
5 |
2 |
Nil |
2/3 |
1 |
3 |
26 |
Chang Feng SMG (Early, 9mm) |
5 |
2 |
Nil |
2/3 |
1 |
2 |
26 |
Chang Feng SMG (Early, 5.8mm) |
5 |
2 |
1-Nil |
2/3 |
1 |
3 |
18 |
Type 05/Jian She PDW
Notes: These two
variants of the same PDW/SMG seem to be the winners of the competition for the
new PLA PDW/SMG. The Type 05
version is already in production and is starting to be issued to the PLA; the
Jian She PDW (which has as of yet no official Chinese designation) is geared
more towards law enforcement and will probably begin production in the near
future for Chinese Police forces.
Both are also being shopped around on the international market, and several
countries have shown interest, particularly in the Jian She PDW.
Both are basically modified versions of the QBZ-95 assault rifle series,
and have polymer lower receivers, buttstock shells, pistols grips, and trigger
guards; the upper receiver is of forged aircraft aluminum.
The Type 05 uses
a somewhat longer barrel, and has an ambidextrous charging handle inside the
carrying handle (though, being a bullpup design with an ejection port fairly
well back on the weapon, it cannot really be used ambidextrously).
Instead of the QBZ-95 series’ gas-operated closed-bolt firing, the Type
05 uses simple blowback operation and fires from an open bolt; in addition, the
bolt is telescoping to shorten the overall length of the weapon.
The magazines are made specifically for the Type 05; they are a
four-column design reminiscent of the Finnish Jati SMG (though an independent
design). The Type 05 has two
primary safeties; one is a selector lever setting, and the other is grip safety
on the pistol grip. The upper
receiver is topped with the carrying handle common to most of the QBZ-95 series;
this carrying handle also has the rear sight and a mounting rail for Chinese and
Eastern-type optics and accessories.
The barrel has no flash suppressor or muzzle brake, but is threaded for a
silencer, as it is also intended to replace the Type 85 silenced SMG.
The Jian She PDW
(Jian She is the design firm) is almost identical to the Type 05, with a minimum
of modifications to better suit it to the 9mm Parabellum ammunition it fires and
the law enforcement role for which it is intended (and make it more attractive
to the international market). The
top of the receiver is fitted with full-length modified MIL-STD-1913 rail, able
to mount virtually any sort of optic or accessory produced in the world today.
Because of this rail, the charging handle has been moved to the right
side of the weapon. The Jian She
PDW is fed by 30-round steel magazines of Chinese manufacture, but it can also
use MP-5 magazines. The front of
the large trigger guard has been widened into a mini-foregrip.
Like the Type 05, the barrel is threaded to accept a silencer, but the
silencer for the Jian She PDW can also provide decent noise suppression with
standard-velocity 9mm Parabellum rounds (though they won’t be as quiet as
subsonic rounds), and without undue wear on the silencer.
Twilight 2000
Notes: These PDWs do not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.
Merc 2000 Notes:
Like many newer Chinese small arms designs, the Type 05 and the Jian She PDW
(known as the Type 07 in the Merc 2000 timeline) suffer from the difficulty of
manufacturing their innovative designs and the difficulty of obtaining the large
amount of polymers they are made of.
Production therefore was dropped after a short time in favor of simpler,
easier to manufacture weapons.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Type 05 |
5.8mm Chinese Pistol |
2.2 kg |
50 |
$469 |
Jian She PDW |
9mm Parabellum |
2.1 kg |
30 |
$276 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Type 05 |
5 |
2 |
1-Nil |
3 |
2 |
4 |
17 |
Jian She PDW |
5 |
2 |
Nil |
3 |
1 |
4 |
22 |
Type 64
Notes: This
Chinese special operations weapon appears to have taken its inspiration from the
Russian PPS-43, though the entire weapon is lighter and the trigger mechanism
seems to be a modified form of that in the Czech ZB-26 light machinegun, or
perhaps a Bren. Magazines are based
on those of the PPS-43, but not interchangeable, as they are slightly wider.
The pistol grip appears to be virtually identical to that of the Type 56
(the Chinese version of the AK-47 assault rifle). The safety is similar to that
of the SKS, while general receiver design is heavily influenced by the AKM.
The silencer is a spiral-baffle type that was introduced by Hiram Maxim
near the beginning of the 20th century, and is much longer than the
9.6-inch barrel. Unlike most
silenced submachineguns, the Type 64 was purpose-designed to be a silenced
weapon and is not a standard submachinegun with a silencer attached.
Because of this, the silencer was designed to be used with automatic fire
and does not wear out the silencer unduly fast.
By 2003, most of these weapons are virtually worn out and do not function
well without a lot of work and refurbishing, and they are not found among active
Chinese forces.
The Type 79 is a
lightweight submachinegun, made from steel stampings.
The Type 79 is based more upon the AK series to take advantage of
soldiers’ muscle memory, and users trained in the AK will find no difficulty in
using the Type 79. The operating
system is very complex for a small weapon, but this facilitates training and
allows a light weapon to have less recoil.
The weapon is in use by the Chinese and several other countries.
The Type 85 is a
simplified version of the Type 79 above, designed to be manufactured using
easier manufacturing methods, and using a plain cylindrical receiver and simple
blowback operation, unlike the AK-derived gas operation of the Type 79.
The magazine used may be the same 20-round one as the Type 79 uses, or
new 30-round and 40-round magazines.
The switch to blowback operation also allows the Type 85 to use the
low-powered Type 64 pistol cartridge, despite not being designed for silenced
operation.
The Type 85
Silenced is a simplified and lightened version of the Type 64 silenced SMG,
using the Type 85 submachinegun as a basis, but with few parts actually
interchangeable with those of the standard Type 85 submachinegun.
It is even quieter than the Type 64 (80 decibels).
It can also be used with standard Tokarev ammunition; however, the sights
are calibrated only for use with subsonic ammunition.
In addition, this version of the Type 85 may also use Type 64 Pistol
ammunition. This weapon has not
been sold abroad.
Twilight 2000
Notes: These weapons were taken back out towards the end of the war in the
Twilight 2000 timeline, but silenced versions were often no longer known for
their quietness.
Merc 2000 Notes:
There were some sales of the Type 64 to Vietnam and the Philippines in the Merc
2000 timeline, but most of these weapons were destroyed and their metal used for
other purposes. The Type 79 was a big seller on the international market,
particularly in Eastern Asia and the Middle East.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Type 64 |
7.62mm Tokarev or Tokarev Subsonic |
3.4 kg |
30 |
$436 |
Type 79 |
7.62mm Tokarev and 7.62mm Type 64 Pistol |
1.9 kg |
20 |
$329 |
Type 85 |
7.62mm Tokarev or 7.62mm Type 64 Pistol |
1.9 kg |
20, 30, 40 |
$302 |
Type 85 Silenced |
7.62mm Tokarev, 7.62mm Tokarev Subsonic, and 7.62mm Type 64 Pistol |
2.5 kg |
20, 30, 40 |
$433 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Type 64 (Standard Ammo) |
10 |
2 |
1-Nil |
4/5 |
1 |
5 |
19 |
Type 64 (Subsonic Ammo) |
10 |
1 |
Nil |
4/5 |
1 |
4 |
19 |
Type 79 (7.62mm Tokarev) |
5 |
2 |
1-Nil |
3/4 |
2 |
4 |
22 |
Type 79 (7.62mm Type 64) |
5 |
1 |
Nil |
3/4 |
1 |
3 |
22 |
Type 85 (7.62mm Tokarev) |
5 |
2 |
Nil |
2/4 |
1 |
4 |
18 |
Type 85 (7.62mm Type 64 Pistol) |
5 |
1 |
Nil |
2/4 |
1 |
3 |
17 |
Type 85 (7.62mm Tokarev) |
5 |
2 |
1-Nil |
4/5 |
1 |
3 |
19 |
Type 85 (7.62mm Tok. Subsonic) |
5 |
1 |
Nil |
4/5 |
1 |
3 |
19 |
Type 85 (7.62mm Type 64) |
5 |
1 |
Nil |
4/5 |
1 |
3 |
19 |